Truck hoist



March 11, 1952 H. A. WILLIS, JR

TRUCK HOIST Filed May 19, 1950 JNVENToR gy Hwy/mf /4//44/6; dfi. BY

Patented Mar. 1l, 1952 'This -invention relates-#to f 'a fuhoist; f'especially,

door for-.use .inloading andfunloadingand moved;

forwardly into the body of the truck when not sin, use'to enable closing-fthevv rear door.

; Another `important -object 4vof' the invention isl 1L toLgproyide a simpledevice of theabove=indicatedcharacter; which can `be "readily installed :injand v removed from the' truck and is readilyl transferable to another truck when desired without alterf-,i

- ing or damaging the truck body structures. Other important objects and advantageous. features of the invention will be apparent from 'l the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein, merely for purposes of illus-Vv tration, a specic embodiment of the invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a general left-hand side elevation of a sedan-type light truck, with its rear door open, and broken away to show the hoist in retracted position in full lines, and in rearwardly extended position of use in dotted lines;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse vertical section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig-` ure l;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig; ure 1, showing the hoist extended from the rear of the truck for use;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspef tive view showing the attachment of one of the uprights to the truck floor.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral 5 generally designates the enclosed body of a sedan type of light delivery truck, involving a floor 6, side panels 1, a roof panel 8, and a rear panel 9 provided with a loading and unloading opening closed by one or more doors I0 which are rearwardly swingable to open posi;- tion. The side panels 'I have longitudinal horizontal ledges I I which project laterally inwardly over the floor `6. Y

The hoist which is removably associated with the above-described truck body components com'- prises a frame composed of one or two pairs of laterally spaced uprights, including a forward pair I2 and a rearward pair I4. In some instances only the rearward pair of uprights I 4 need be employed, as where it is desired to hoist the obfprovide `4ansinipleandvserviceablefl device ioffthisM kind which can be extended;.ithrough'.'the crear jects to be loaded only to the rear endi'gfithe Aiioor 6,- and it is =not desired-f to conveyr the hoisted objects forwardly withinthe truck body' 5.

`'Figure 4, vpreferably in the formof channelirnns 'having' laterally outwardly directed flanges' I5, welded,-asindicated at I6;' tof the laterallyeinl ward'side of a'verticallange "Il on an'angleviron foot I 8 havinga horizontal flange vI 9;rto bebolt'ed, 'l0' as `indicated at 26, to the truckbody lfloor?Iifclose- VirfFigure 2. 1 upper ends of theuprights'ofweach-fpairv isz-.fa Tlf-bar cross member 2 Iywithits flange 22 directed 15 upwardly-,zandhavingl end lflanges' i231 on 'its oppo- "Resting upon-and welded etc-,whe

site ends to engage under the ledges II on the truck side panel 1, as shown in Figure 2, to which the end flanges can be secured by suitable means inot shown) if desired, to steady the hoist strucure.

`As shown in Figure 1, the rear uprights I4 are spaced forwardly from the rear body panel 9, and hence from the rear end of the floor 6, at a distance such that the hoisted objects, such as a box 24, on being elevated to a level above the floor 6, can be deposited by the hoist onto the oor 6 near the door. The forward uprights I2 can be placed near the forward end of the truck body 5 to enable a hoisted object to be conveyed forwardly by the hoist to the front of the body before being deposited on the floor 6.

Welded or otherwise suitably secured to each of the cross members 2|, preferably at the midpoints thereof, are the side plates 25 of C-shaped slide guides 25 consisting of the plates 26 from which the plates 25 rise at opposite sides of the cross members 2| to which they aresecured. The plate 26 has inwardly directed flanges 27.

Confined slidably in the guides 25 is the upper flange 28 of an I-beam 29 having a similar lower flange 3U, the I-beam constituting the boom or track of the hoist. The track 29 is proportioned in length to extend rearwardly the desired distance beyond the rear of the truck body when extended, and to occupy a position completely within the truck body 5, when retracted, so that the doors II) can be closed.

Running on the lower flange 30 of the track 29 is a carriage 3l from which is suspended by a hook 32 a desired form of block and tackle 33, such as a chain-operated block and tackle, including upper and lower pulleys 34 and 375, re-

spectively, with a hook 36 depending from thelower pulley for engagement with-the load 24 or with a harness 3l or other suitable loadengaging means. The carriage 3| has rollers 38 rolling on the flange 30 at opposite sides of the web 39 of the track 29. A stop 40 is provided at the rear end of the track 29 for the carriage.

From the foregoing it is obvious that to load a package 24, the truck body rear doors I are opened, the track 29 pulled rearwardly through the door opening, and the hook 36 of the block and tackle connected to the load. The tackle is then operated to hoist the load to the desired level above the floor 6 and the carriage 3| is pulled or pushed forwardly to the desired place in the body and the tackle operated to deposit the load on the oor 6. When loading or unloading is completed, the track 29 is pushed forwardly in the guides 25 so that its rear end is within the truck body and the doors I 0 can be closed. The tackle 33 can be removed from the carriage for convenience while not in use.

Iclaim: i

1. The combination with a vehicle body having a oor and vertical side panels rising along opposite sides of the floor, of a hoist comprising uprights at each side of said body and spaced along the inner sides of the panels, means securing the lower ends of the uprights to the iloor, cross members extending between and supportably secured to the upper ends of the uprights, said cross members being secured vat their ends to said side panels, a horizontal slide guide secured to each of said cross members at points between said uprights, a track having a portion thereof supportably and slidably engaged with said slide guides whereby said track 4 can be moved longitudinally relative to the vehicle body, and a block and tackle mounted on said track.

2. The combination with a vehicle body having a floor and vertical side panels rising above and extending longitudinally along both sides of said oor, of a hoist comprising at least one upright at each side of said body at the inner sides of the body panels, bracket means fixing the lower end of the upright to the floor, a cross member extending across the body and supportably xed on the upper ends of the uprights, said cross member having elements on its opposite edges rigidly connected to the side panels whereby the side panels form structural parts of the hoist, a slide guide mounted on said cross member and extending longitudinally of the vehicle body, a longitudinal track slidably mounted on said slide guide and movable longitudinally relative to the slide guide and the vehicle body, and a block and tackle secured to and depending from an end of said track.

' HARRY A. WILLIS, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of `this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

